Highland Park Planning and
Development Report
by D. Jeanne Kimber
On April 8 Calgary’s Council voted
12-3 to repeal the Rezoning for Housing Bylaw. Implementation to revert zoning
takes effect as of August 4, as will changes to R-CG rules passed by Council. The
City’s newsroom site says the following:
“Change the zoning of residential
properties back to what existed before the citywide Rezoning for Housing in
2024, except for properties that:
·
Received
approval for a development permit, building permit or subdivision application
under R-CG, R-G, or H-GO zoning before the bylaw takes effect; or
·
Submitted
a development permit, building permit or subdivision application before the
first reading of the bylaw; or
·
Rezoned
through an approved rezoning application applied for by the property owner
after August 6, 2024.”1
We asked Councillor Kelly for some further
clarification since there are a number of development permit applications for four-unit
townhouses or rowhouses currently under review. His office confirmed that the only
two ways that a DP currently under consideration would revert to the
pre-existing land use are:
·
If
the DP application is denied by the City Planning team and then not appealed to
the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB)
·
Or,
if the DP is approved, appealed to the SDAB, and the approval is then revoked
by the SDAB. Therefore, if an approval is appealed but is upheld by the SDAB,
then the Approval stands and the land use would not revert.
It should be noted that the zoning
on any parcel which has reverted to its original land use designation (ex.
R-C2) can still be changed if Council approves a Land Use Change application. This
is the situation that existed prior to “blanket rezoning.” However, it is hoped
that some of the amendments passed by Council along with any additional
amendments being considered will mitigate some of the concerns with R-CG
developments that were raised by residents.
The DP applications mentioned in
last month’s newsletter that were Under Review are still Under Review with the
following exceptions:
·
DP2025-07075
to allow for a four-plex with suites at 427 35 Ave NW was approved on March 30.
The deadline to appeal the approval to the Subdivision and Development Appeal
Board (SDAB) is April 23.
·
DP2025-07314
to allow a four-plex with suites at 311 33 Ave NE is Pending Decision as of
today’s date.
·
DP2026-01836
for a four-plex with suites at 4008 2 St NW is a newly received application. Comments
may be made through the Development Map at
https://dmap.calgary.ca/?p=DP2026-01836.
See
https://developmentmap.calgary.ca/ to stay up to date on applications in
Highland Park. Plans can also be downloaded from the DMAP and comments
submitted if an application is listed as Open for Comment.
During the public hearing on the repeal
of the Rezoning for Housing Bylaw, there was also discussion about the need for
proceeding with the Local Area Planning Process. A Local Area Plan (LAP) is
used to define areas in communities where, among other things, higher density
is desired and to be encouraged. The LAP, however, does not define land use
designation or zoning for particular parcels. Highland Park is part of the
North Hill Communities Local Area Plan (NHCLAP), which was the first LAP
created in Calgary. There is a link to download a copy of the NHCLAP at
https://www.calgary.ca/planning/local-area/completed-plans/north-hill-communities.html.
In particular, Maps number three and number four provide a visual look at where
higher density and taller buildings were envisioned when the plan was finalized
in 2022.
References:
Click here to the Highland Park Community News home page for the latest Highland Park community updates.
